This article first appeared in the Tulsa World
by: GAVIN OFF World Data Editor
Monday, May 04, 2009
5/4/2009 3:20:43 AM
Tulsa will soon see the largest highway construction boom it has ever witnessed.
Later this month, crews should begin work on the single most expensive
highway project in Tulsa and Oklahoma history, as they repave the north
and west legs of the Inner Dispersal Loop.
The three-mile project, which includes resurfacing dozens of bridges and ramps, will cost about $75 million.
A couple of months later, crews will begin work on the area's
second most expensive road project ever, as they widen portions of two
roads and replace two Interstate 44 bridges near the Cherokee Casino
Resort.
That project will cost about $63 million and was expedited
with the Cherokee Nation's donation of more than $11 million in
right-of-way and funding.
The two new projects will join a third massive Oklahoma Department of Transportation project already under way in Tulsa.
The Perryman Ditch drainage project, which will funnel storm
water from the Peoria Avenue area to the Arkansas River, began in
January at a cost of about $42 million.
"We're going to be extremely busy," said Paul Green, an ODOT
construction engineer. "We're going to ask for patience. We're going to
ask for (motorists) to keep our work zones safe. If they can work
alternative hours or something of that nature, that would also be
good."
IDL
What now is a bumpy section of Interstate 244, where
patched potholes provide only partial relief, in the end will become a
new smooth stretch of highway, department officials said.
The project contractors, Manhattan Road & Bridge Co. and
Sherwood Construction Co., will repave I-244 from its bridge over U.S.
75 to the Arkansas River. In all, they'll resurface about three miles
of road, including about 40 bridges and numerous ramps, Green said.
But crews will start by patching portions of the south and
east legs of the loop, which will see increased traffic because of
detours. Already, the IDL carries between 55,000 and 62,000 vehicles a
day.
Patching will start in about four weeks and last more than a month.
Afterward, workers will shut down and repave the southbound
lanes of the IDL's west leg and the westbound lanes of the loop's north
leg.
Then they'll repave the northbound lanes of the IDL's west leg and the eastbound lanes of the north leg.
There is no time frame for those phases of the project, which in its entirety could take about 18 months to complete.
But Green said the contractors could earn $6 million in incentives if they finished the work early.
"It will be an inconvenience, but the results for Tulsa will be great," he said.
I-44
As the IDL project is in full swing, the Transportation
Department and crews from Becco Contractors will begin a massive
overhaul of I-44's intersection with 193rd East Avenue.
They'll widen portions of I-44, including the intersection's
bridges, to four lanes in each direction and widen 193rd East Avenue
between Admiral Place and Cherokee Street to six lanes and auxiliary
lanes.
The roads and bridges are too narrow for the traffic they
carry, which for I-44 tops 68,000 vehicles a day, said an ODOT
spokeswoman, Kenna Mitchell.
David Stewart, the CEO of Cherokee Nation Enterprises, said
the department has worked with casino officials to anticipate possible
construction bottlenecks. But he said with sufficient signage, open
lanes and on-site parking, there should be minimal problems during
construction and great benefits afterward.
"It's great for this community and economic corridor," Stewart
said. "We're very excited and think it definitely will add value to our
property."
Crews will begin the project by building a two-lane bridge
adjacent to the I-44 eastbound span. Once finished, the new lanes will
be opened to eastbound traffic, allowing workers to remove the old
eastbound lanes and replace them with two new ones.
Eventually the four new lanes will make up the bridge's
eastbound span, but during construction of the bridge's westbound
portion, the four lanes will carry both eastbound and westbound
traffic.
Mitchell said the new bridge, which will replace two deficient
bridges, will stretch 285 feet, more than twice as long as the existing
ones.
Additional work includes widening the on- and off ramps to two
lanes and installing a retaining wall along the interstate's shoulders.
Mitchell said at least two lanes of I-44 and two lanes of
193rd East Avenue north of the bridge will remain open to traffic
between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays. That's how many lanes are now
available to drivers.
"We're going to try to maintain traffic as best we can," Green said.
The entire project could take up to 630 days, although Becco
bid to have it done sooner and could receive about $3 million in
incentives if it finishes the job quickly, Green said.
Gavin Off 732-8106
gavin.off@tulsaworld.com
Associate Images:


DAVID HOUSH / Tulsa World
Posted on Mon, May 4, 2009
by Crystal Drwenski